Mark Meismer, as part of the tour, stands out - taking second place only to Reba herself.  It's her show, but Marks love and dedication for his art puts him in a league all his own.  It doesn't hurt that he is remarkably appealing to the eye, a very handsome man.  It is perhaps his 'look' that first draws you in, but its his skill that captures you.

I started dancing when I was 13 and I knew I was going to do this professionally from the beginning.  I grew up in Cerritos California and went to the High School of the Arts.  I have one brother and one sister.  I am the baby of the family.  My family is very supportive of my career and love to come see me perform when they can.  

Before touring with Reba, I was working in Los Angeles doing television and films.  There is alot of work here in the entertainment business and I have been very fortunate to work as a dancer in Los Angeles and New York.  

I have an agent and they find me work.  However,  you build a reputation in this city and that's how you get most of the work.  If you work with a choreographer and they like you, they will hire you again and again for their jobs and shows.  

Jerry Evans (Reba's tour choreographer) asked me if I would be interested in dancing on Reba's tour.  I had to audition but I was up for it.   The audition was great.  Jerry was casting around a couple of us for all the dancers.  I was very excited to go on tour and really looked forward to the experience.  
 

t takes alot of work to prepare for a tour.  The show we see on stage took many long hours of planning and rehearsals to prepare.  For The Singer's Diary, we rehearsed about 1 month before we first opened the tour.  The Singer's Diary was a very special show that Reba described as 'an emotional rollercoaster'.  The first half of the show was a musical 'Broadway style' play about Reba's life from the time she was discovered singing The National Anthem to the present time.  The second half of the show was a full blown concert.  We rehearsed with just the dancers in Los Angeles, then went to Nashville to work with Reba and put it all together on stage and with the band.

We [the dancers] don't really help with the choreography.  They hire the best choreographers - they do all the work and we just learn the steps.  We usually rehearse about 7 hours a day.  We rehearse to the sound of Reba singing the version of the song we're using for the show.  Reba comes in for 2-3 hours to rehearse with us.  Usually she's working on alot of things, so we need to do rehearsals alot without her.  She comes in and we do it with her and complete the number.

Mark and the rest of the dance troop are professional dancers.  Reba's profession is singing and most recently acting.  For anyone who has yet to see one of her shows, you might be surprised to know that Reba joins in the dance numbers.  Reba picks up the dance steps fast.  She's a fast learner and she loves to do choreography with us.  She works really hard in rehearsal and does amazing.  I have always liked Reba but after working with her I am now a much bigger fan.  I respect and admire her and she is amazing to work with.

ancing in general is challenging and hard, but it's sure a pleasure to do great choreography and share the stage with Reba.  Many entertainer's are known for 'going Hollywood' or stepping on the 'small people'.  This has never been the case for Reba.  She is just as normal as all of us.  A mother, a wife and a wonderful human.  I respect her and love her so much.  It's amazing dancing with her.  To be treated so wonderful and to be so appreciated as a dancer is great - and she sure does that.

Many fans dream of working with their favorite artists, and some -like Mark- get that chance and get to know the artist as a real person.  We talk to Reba everyday of course.  Being on tour we become a second family.  We hang out, play cards, visit, eat.... do all those things when her schedule is not so crazy.  When she's really busy we of course see her before, during and after the show.  She's the best.

During Reba's stint on Broadway, Mark has kept himself busy.  He's recently been helping to choreograph Madonna's Drowned Tour in Los Angeles.  Mark has just returned from in New York City where he worked with Ricky Martin for his 'Loaded' video.  Reba will be going back on tour with 'Girls Night Out.'  Mark will be joining Reba and looks forward to getting back on tour.  For this tour we start rehearsals in Los Angeles at the end of June.  Then we meet up in Las Vegas where we open the tour on July 13th.  There will be the same six dancers that came out on the last tour.  Four men and two women.  The same gang.

Reba is known for her 'Vegas style' shows featuring lights, dancers, costume changes, etc.  Every year it is completely different from the year before.  Reba enjoys giving her fans something new and unique each time.  They are still in production and deciding what the new tour will be like.  I won't know anything until we begin rehearsals the end of June.  I know Reba and Narvel and it will be amazing - never anything less.

Two of my favorite songs to dance to are Take It Back and We're So Good Together.  I love all of them.  Reba also features the dancers on Why Haven't I Heard From You, Respect and Fancy to name a few.

It's great to walk on stage and hear thousands of screaming fans.  That is the best part of doing live performances.  The crowds are unreal.  They love the dancers and they respond amazingly.  It is such a rush to step on that stage and hear them cheer.

e enjoy seeing Mark out there and hope to see more of him.  I just want to keep dancing as long as I can and continue to work and do what I love to do - dance and perform.  It's so wonderful to make a living at what you love to do.

For those of you who can't get enough of Mark, he's got a little secret for you:  I'm currently in the process of having my own website for the fans.  This is just the beginning - enjoy!